Chance in a Million

I never saw this first time round, and don't think I ever remembered that it existed until recently.... I saw the first episode a few weeks back and I only did so to remind myself if I had seen it before..... I hadn't, but I am glad I did....!

I never really enjoyed the typical U. K. sit-com especially at the time of its height in the 70s and 80s...... I found them to be unfunny and ham acted....

But this show was different to the typical sit-coms of the day.... it was very well written, in terms of the clever way those acts of chance that Tom Chance suffered were set up and paid off.... and the two main characters were very well played....

I found of the episodes I have watched so far that although this show has a typical sit-com feel.... but the characters and situations are just very surreal and sometimes very dark......

I enjoyed this in the same way I enjoyed Get Some In, for example, although it might appear to be a typical 80s sit-com it is worth watching to find out for yourself just how different it is from the shows of the time...

I can't think of any one else who could play the main role as well as Simon Callow... either at the time or indeed if there was a remake today..... The lazier programme makers today would likely pick a comedian of some type, whereas this show works better with a good dramatic actor rather than a comedian....

Just received all 18 episodes on DVD which I ordered, I've watched three of them so far.

You know how for years you tell younger people how great an old series was and then it comes on and you don't even crack a smile when watching it? Well I'm glad to say that this isn't one of those. It had me in stitches and was even better than I remembered! The combination of the superb acting skills of the two (now very famous) main actors as well as the ridiculous coincidences and the wistful love story is irresistible.

Buy it. Now.

Quirky isn't really the word for this excellent, if dated, sitcom (I say dated because I'd forgotten how often Brenda Blethyn gets her it off, it was the 80's after all). Brilliant performances from the two leads, Simon Callow & Brenda Blethyn. You can really see the roots of other programmes like One Foot In The Grave etc in this. Currently (May 2022) being shown on BritBox, worth the price alone for this masterpiece.

"Chance in a Million" was a gem and it is sad that it has never been repeated.Tom Chance (Simon Callow) accepted the twists fate threw at him with unflinching cheerfulness and it was a pleasure trying to anticipate what could go wrong next.

His long suffering fiancé Alison (Brenda Blethyn) always meekly hoped for the best, enduring the most ludicrous of mishaps.

I often wondered if it wasn't rerun because its principal actors went on to greater things and having joined the ranks of "luvvies" they didn't want reminders of where they started from.

If true, this would be a shame because it was an excellent series.

When considering the junk that does make it to DVD, why, oh why, has this been overlooked for so long? It is superb and certainly not another twee safe little 'middle-england' sitcom where it is compulsory for EVERY actor's line to be funny then followed by canned laughter. I'm sorry but true comedy isn't like that - genuine workable comedy is best with stooges to bounce things off. Come on - there are 18 true gems lying in a vault being ignored. No wonder people pirate things from home-made video copies - I cherish the 6 episodes I taped direct from the TV but would love a DVD boxed set of all 18 in higher definition. Put my name top of your list for a copy and please, please, hurry - 'before one of us dies' to quote a well known comedian - more than 20 years has elapsed now! Brenda Blethyn and Simon Callow went on to star in much bigger productions but the magic blend of their comedic skills married to a surreal script with it's manic obsession for co-incidence is simply genius - I would urge people to seek out surviving tapes - you won't be disappointed.